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House and Senate pass Zika funding measures, but significant compromise still needed

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate each passed bills this week authorizing emergency spending to combat the Zika virus. The House Zika funding measure (H.R. 5243) authorizes USD $622 million in funding, an amount significantly below the Obama Administration’s recent request for USD $1.9 billion in emergency Zika funding. The Senate passed a similar bipartisan bill (S. Amdt. 3900), authorizing USD $1.1 billion in funding. While the Senate authorized nearly double the funding approved by the House, the Senate measure still falls short of the Obama Administration’s request. In light of President Obama’s indication that he would veto the House measure, significant negotiations between the House and Senate will be necessary before any compromise bill can be sent to the White House.

*Blake Walsh is admitted only in Tennessee. Her practice is supervised by principals of the firm admitted in the District of Columbia.